Rossford approves emergency purchases for fire MDTs and raises fire chief pay; committee updates staffing and station renovation

Rossford City Council on May 27 adopted Ordinance 2025-39 to authorize a contract with Buckeye Emergency for mobile data terminals (MDTs) and Toughbooks for the fire department, waiving competitive bidding and declaring an emergency the same evening. The council also adopted Ordinance 2025-40 to increase the fire chief’s compensation to $130,000, with the emergency declaration applied to that measure as well.

The matters affect fire department operations and staffing. Council members and staff said the MDTs will provide firefighters more information en route to emergencies and should improve response; the chief’s pay change reflects prior committee discussion about benefits and stipends.

At the public safety committee meeting reported to the council, Lieutenant Ravel and Chief Sirocco described several department items: purchase of a vehicle for the interdiction officer funded through forfeiture funds, progress on adding four full‑time firefighters, and ongoing renovation work at the fire station house. Chief Sirocco told the council that he does not receive pension contributions or city-provided medical insurance; because he waived both, his current pay of $105,000 effectively saves the city roughly $50,000–$60,000 in benefits. The new ordinance would set his salary at $130,000; city policy provides a stipend to employees who decline insurance.

For Ordinance 2025-39, councilors moved to suspend further readings and declare an emergency after staff said the purchase had been reviewed by financing and would aid response times. There were no public objections on the floor, and the council voted to adopt the ordinance. For Ordinance 2025-40, the finance committee had discussed the matter earlier and the council similarly suspended further readings, declared an emergency and adopted the ordinance by voice vote.

Details such as the contract value for the Buckeye Emergency equipment, the annual budget impact of the chief’s salary change, and specific start dates for the four new firefighters were not listed in the meeting record. The city did not receive public comment opposing either ordinance during the meeting.